Generally forceps may be utilized for laparoscopic surgery. The forceps may be used to control delicate movements inside a patient. These forceps may be used to grip an anatomical feature. The forceps may include a gripping assembly or a cutting assembly. The forceps may include electrical energy for use in the gripping assembly. A user, in order to align the cutting assembly or to align the gripping assembly may have to rotate his or her arm to change the angle of the forceps to perform one of the functions of the forceps. A user while maintaining their arm in a rotated position may further be able to actuate the gripping assembly or the cutting assembly such that repositioning of one or more fingers and/or the user's hand may be required to simultaneously perform both functions. This simultaneous movement may cause the user to divert their attention from the anatomical feature of interest.
Current forceps during surgery may grip an item of interest to perform a surgical function thereon. Performing the surgical function with tools at the end of an elongated stylet may cause strain on the one or more support rods of the stylet. Strain on the one or more support rods may occur when the forceps are used to grip, cut, or perform another surgical function, and while performing the function the forceps are rotated by the user. Current forceps have intricate parts that make up assemblies and mechanisms. The intricate parts have precise placement requirements so that the intricate parts work together properly. These intricate parts during assembly may need one or more assemblies to be pre-assembled and/or manipulated once assembled such that the pieces may not be assembled in a single order without the need for reassembly of one or more of the previously installed components. The forceps include one or more levers that have a forked cam such that the levers cannot be installed without manipulating the one or more components they actuate.
Examples of some devices that may be used as a surgical instrument may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,735,849; 7,150,749 and Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0229344 all of which are incorporated by reference herein for all purposes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,849 discloses a forceps device that may work to cut or grip during surgery, but may not allow for simultaneous rotation and actuation of the cutting or gripping function. U.S. Pat. No. 7,150,749 discloses a forceps device that may work effectively to cut or grip during surgery, may not allow for rotation of the cutting or gripping assemblies without putting rotational strain on the support rod of the assemblies. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0229344 discloses a forceps device that may work to cut or grip during surgery, may not be able to be assembled in a way where the parts may be placed into position without manipulating or repositioning other parts. It would be attractive for the forceps to move independently relative to the hand piece. What is needed is a bearing surface on the support rod of the one or more assemblies to allow for low friction rotation and longitudinal movement at the same time. What is needed is one or more levers configured to allow the device to be assembled along an assembly direction without repositioning of already installed components. It would be attractive to be have a device that may be robotically assembled. What is needed is a forceps that may be assembled by placing the parts into position without repositioning other parts so that the forceps may be assembled in a top-down manner.